Domino's shows me my pizza.

Domino's may not yet be considered complete, but I’ve been a fan of the move to quality they've made in full view of their customers and the public.

Quality improvements are often made by companies that have had these issues, but Domino’s has addressed their public perception with a humility and sincerity that we can identify with and cheer for.

Whether through its public apologies for “the video”, public solicitation of feedback via showusyourpizza.com, or the dramatization of their willingness to win back customers one at a time through their advertising, Domino's has demonstrated transparency, personality and a connectedness with its customers trhat few service brands are (sadly) willing to risk.

Yet while I had admired Dominos' recent track record in addressing service quality, I still hadn’t used them in a couple of years, until my wife called me at work with an emergency, “we-left-the-baby-sitter-hanging” situation.

The selection & ordering process at dominos.com was simple. The menu was completely customizable and - even better - I didn't need to register as a frequent customer just to order a pizza.

But what happened after I ordered made me a fan and, more importantly, a returning customer.
After the order submitted, a timeline popped into the order confirmation screen, showing the order preparation & delivery process and the status of my order as it moved. The tracker might be dismissed as gimmicky, but it personalized the service in a unique way, particularly when stage 2 informed me that "Stephen began custom-making my order at 5:12 PM."

Adding a tangible personalization of the experience in the form of greater visibility to the service process, (including using the names of the people involved), are elements of the domino's experience that gave me more assurance over the quality of the outcome. It demonstrated in a for me that their responsiveness to their customers over the quality concerns is not just a marketing or social media response, but a strategy consistently carried out across service touchpoints.

What your self-service technology says about your business.

An automated call directory experience from a company with which I’m about to begin a business relationship:

Press 1 to speak with someone in sales
Press 2 to for customer support
Press 3 to leave a message
Press 4 to dial your party by name.
Press 5 for the operator

So…you’re most interested in selling me something. If I’m not willing to be sold today and I don’t have a service problem, you’d prefer I leave a message for someone to get back with me.

Every touchpoint sets customer expectations for the service they receive. They indicate to customers, suppliers and partner what the organization is focused on and point towards their overall quality as a business.

Without ever having had a business interaction, this company told me they were more interested in taking my money than serving me, would rather I leave a message than conduct a live service interaction.

If they’re exceptional, they might recover, but the expectation has been set. For now, I’m just glad I’m not paying the bill on this one.

My Mistake, Your Problem.

What is an airline to do when someone ruins their experice for them.

The flight my spouse came home on was early, and I was late to the airport to pick up my exasperated wife and our beyond-tired 8 month-old. Reliability is equal parts precision and accuracy – it’s consistently doing what you say you are going to do. An early flight can be as bad as a late one.

I didn’t check the flight status from my smartphone, relying instead on an web update before after I had left the house for the day.

As part of my familial service recovery, I investigated what my actual options would be for future cases.

Of course, I can ask for flight status via the web, cell, PDA. These methods are all passive, as though the airlines are saying, “We’ll tell you if our flights are running late, but only if you ask us.”

I also could have subscribed to travel alerts. Or rather, my wife could have…well in advance.

With Northwest, you can subscribe to receive texts & emails of flight schedule changes as they happen. The downside is that you have to be a loyalty program member. You can then adjust your account settings to receive updates on your flights, and you can include someone else in your profile to receive them as well. (of course, I did not tell my wife it was her fault for not being a Skymiles member and not having signed me up to receive updates)

Here’s where holistic mapping of the experience would help.

I wasn’t either the paying customer or the service provider, but I had an impact on the experience. The service outcome was a failure, but the actions of a complete outsider to the encounter caused the negative reflection on the performance of the airline.

When looking at the service moments-of-truth where satisfaction or dissatisfaction occur, you often have to look beyond where your part in the service provision starts and ends. Include the actions of customers - and sometimes people not directly involved in the service at all - that need to use the product of your service to dowork of their own.

You Can Untie the Cost Accountant Now.

Finally!

Hyatt Place put in an automated check in process in the hotel I stayed at this week. I’ve been wondering when this development would come, and I can’t say that I’m disappointed in the least. I was down on the cost accountants earlier this week, but here’s one who worked with their service & brand teams for a successful result.

A service brand has to judge whether the introduction of self-service technology will reinforce the brand, be a net satisfier, and create improvements in service productivity.

It’s not for everyone. Imagine who guests at Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons would react if greeted by a robo-staff, ready to accept their credit cards and spit out an invoice confirmation and a room key.

But for a brand that caters primarily to business travelers on limited-duration stays, this seems like a no-brainer. When I travel for business, the hotel check-in process is not a value-added activity. I’m either dead tired, or know where I’m going and in a rush. The automated check-in was faster than counter check-in the first time I used it (major bonus points for improving company AND customer productivity on the 1st try), got me what I needed and off to my next activity.

Obviously, it won’t make sense for every hotel to adopt. Automated checkout is a staple in most grocery stores, but it might look out of place at Stew Leonard’s. Self-service technology can enable the service promise, so long as it is evaluated ensure brand compatibility and satisfaction improvement amongst the target consumer.

amazappos.com

I hope I’m wrong about this one.

One exceptional service organization purchased another yesterday, and I’m fearful for the final result. I’m not a believer in big-merger-as-corporate-strategy, and think most tend to destroy more shareholder value than they create.

I think it’s particularly dangerous when the organizations merging are differentiated on the basis of their service culture.

Amazon.com is a leader in creating technology that enables the service experience. From the algorithms that make ever intelligent point-of-purchase suggestions based on my product preferences, to the self-service technology that creates a credible, user-friendly experience that I have absolute confidence in, Amazon.com uses technology as well as anyone to add delight to the retail experience. They account for the bulk of my online shopping.

My Zappos knowledge is limited. One flawless service experience, little interaction with their famous world-class service. It is an environment where, like Amazon, the service promise is fully enabled to be kept, but in Zappos case, it is people that do it. Zappos relies on a corporate culture that is not the same as other online retailers. They work to hire great people that are service-oriented first and foremost. They rely on the employees to provide exceptional service and form close relationships with the customer.

What is clear about the models is that they are both excel at making service promises and keeping them, but where Amazon uses technology, Zappos uses a workforce that is widely regarded as exceptional amongst its peers and across industries.

As it stands, Amazon is reporting that service operations will not be integrated, that they will operate as standalone businesses, and that the deal is not about synergies. In my opinion, the cost savings associated with a shift from the people-driven service model to the technology-enabled service are too easy to identify. As a result, Zappos operations will eventually be integrated into Amazon. If so, it will ruin the element of the experience that differentiated Zappos from every other online retailer, including Amazon.